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Good morning, readers. Welcome to the Maven's Morning Coffee -- a listing of the important headlines, news conferences, public meetings and announcements you need to know to fuel up and tackle your day.

Today is Friday, Nov. 30, and here is what's happening in Los Angeles:

Headlines

SoCal Connected looks at the relationship between Supervisor Don Knabe and his son, who is a lobbyist. "Special interest groups and companies, large and small, pay Englander-Knabe hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobby the county. Many of those same groups and companies also donate to Supervisor Knabe's campaign coffers and to his charities, events, and other causes," according to the program.

The Los Angeles Times and Daily News don't exactly paint the president of the Board of Public Works as mother of the year. Andrea Alarcon announced last week she would seek treatment after police officers found her 11-year-old daughter left alone at City Hall around midnight. The newspapers now report that Alarcon had left City Hall all together to get a drink at a downtown hotel. "Once on the phone with police, Alarcon had trouble understanding what the officer was telling her, the sources said. She arrived at the police station about 2 a.m.," according to The Times.

KPCC's Airtalk talked to Councilman Paul Koretz about his motion to prevent elephants from performing in circuses that come through Los Angeles. "The recommendation follows a decision from a state judge made earlier this year that banned the use of bullhooks at the Los Angeles Zoo and a federal bill, proposed a year ago, that would have severely limited the transportation of lions, tigers and elephants around the county," according to the station.

The city Planning Commission approved a new ordinance regulating medical marijuana. The law would allow clinics that opened before September of 2007 to remain in operation. KPCC, Daily News

Previously in Represent!

Represent! is your eye on how well government serves citizens and the public interest in Southern California. KPCC's politics and government team posts frequently on transparency, civic engagement, reform efforts and accountability. We invite your comments and suggestions — follow us on Twitter at the links below.